John M. Taylor

John M[axwell] “Jack” Taylor was born on May 3, 1930, at West Point, N.Y. He graduated from Williams College with honors in history, and subsequently earned a master’s degree from the George Washington University. From 1952 until 1987 he was employed by agencies of the U.S. government, including CIA and the State Department.

Mr. Taylor became a frequent contributor to historical magazines, but his first publishing breakthrough was a prize-winning biography of our 20th president,

"Garfield of Ohio:The Available Man" (Norton, 1970). This biography was reprinted under the title "James A. Garfield" in 2005 by the American Political Biography Press to represent Garfield in its Signature Series of presidential biographies.

In 1989 Doubleday published Mr. Taylor’s biography of the author’s father, "General Maxwell Taylor: The Sword and the Pen" (Doubleday, 1989). Reviews were uniformly favorable, with the New York Times calling it “well told… relating Taylor’s life in broader perspective.” A paperback edition of this biography was published by Presidio in 2001 under the title "An American Soldier: The Wars of General Maxwell Taylor."

Mr. Taylor then turned to the Civil War, a subject that he long interested him. One result was "William Henry Seward: Lincoln’s Right Hand" (HarperCollins, 1991). In 2000 the book became the basis for a Public Television documentary on Seward.

The author’s next book, "Confederate Raider: Raphael Semmes of the Alabama," was a 1995 selection of the History Book Club. Booklist called it “excellent,” the writing “a model of clarity.” The author was featured in a TV program on the raising of the "Alabama." An abridgment of this biography was published in 2004 by Brassey’s under the title "Semmes: Rebel Raider," as part of the Military Profiles series.

Mr. Taylor is also the author of "While Cannons Roared: The Civil War Behind the Lines" (Brassey’s, 1999); "Duty Faithfully Performed: Robert E. Lee and His Critics" (Brassey’s 1999); and "Raiders and Blockaders: The American Civil War Afloat," with William N. Still, Jr., and Norman C. Delaney (Brassey’s, 1994).

Mr. Taylor is also the author of "From the White House Inkwell: American Presidential Autographs" (Modoc Press, paperback, 1989), an updated edition of the same title published in hardcover in 1958 by Charles E. Tuttle Press.

A former president of the national Manuscript Society, Mr. Taylor is also the author of "History in Your Hand: Fifty Years of the Manuscript Society," published by Praeger in 1997.

Mr. Taylor is a regular contributor to Military History Quarterly and Manuscripts magazines. The author, with his wife, Priscilla, edited a new edition of "Dictionary of Military Terms" (H. W. Wilson) in 2003. Mr. Taylor and his wife live in McLean, Virginia. They have three children: Alice Taylor McVeigh, Katharine Maxwell Shaibani, and James Sheppard Taylor. A list of his books with ISBNs follows.

Garfield of Ohio: SBN 393 07453 6

From the White House Inkwell: American Presidential Autographs ISBN 0-929246-03-9

History in Your Hand ISBN 0-275-95918-x

Raiders and Blockaders ISBN 1-57488-164-7

James A. Garfield ISBN 0-945707-36-3

While Cannons Roared: The Civil War Behind the Lines ISBN 1-57488 150-7

An American Soldier: The Wars of General Maxwell Taylor ISBN 0-89141-752-4

Semmes: Rebel Raider ISBN 1-57488-419-0

William Henry Seward: Lincoln’s Right Hand ISBN 0-06-016307-0

General Maxwell Taylor: The Sword and the Pen ISBN 0-385-24381-2

Confederate Raider: Raphael Semmes of the Alabama ISBN 0-02-881086-4